Manchester City concluded their underwhelming run this season with a third-place finish in the Premier League.
The 2024-25 campaign has been rough for head coach Pep Guardiola, who had to manage an injury-riddled squad, along with their eliminations from other competitions, leaving Man City without any silverware this season.
Despite their hardships, Man City managed to secure a spot in the Champions League for next season, and Guardiola has referred to the qualification as a ‘relief.’
This campaign has not only been a disappointing one for Man City in comparison to their past few seasons but also one of the most underperforming runs in Guardiola’s 18-year-long managerial career.
This is the second time a Guardiola-led squad has finished third in a league in his illustrious managerial career. The first time was also with Man City in his debut season (2016–17) at Etihad.
What did Pep Guardiola say about Man City’s third-place finish in Premier League?
While speaking to reporters after Man City’s 2-0 win over Fulham in their last league game of the season on May 25, Guardiola addressed (comments via GOAL) his squad’s disappointing display in the campaign.
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“People can say ‘I don’t want to fight again, just to qualify for the Europa League’. We continued playing good and we were there [in position to seal Champions League qualification] and we did it. At the end we finished third, not miles away from Arsenal, but the distance to Liverpool is huge. We have to improve and hopefully we can do it,” he said.
Guardiola then went on to refer to his squad’s Premier League finish as ‘really nice’ despite it being a blemish in his personal managerial record and added,
“Today, it’s a relief because qualification for the Champions League is like winning a title. It’s a fact. Finishing third is really nice. It’s not perfect, but we will be in Europe next season in the Champions League. So today, maybe people don’t believe it, but it’s absolutely a happy day for us.”
Guardiola & Co. will be now looking forward to their first Club World Cup game against Moroccan club Wydad AC, which is slated for June 18, at Lincoln Financial Field, Pennsylvania.
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